Forgotten
by Trapped in Reality
Summary: Looking for energon, Bumblebee finds something that could either kill him or help the Autobots in ways that they could only hope for. Sort of a character origin thing.


**Trapped in Reality**

**Co-authors: Eeyop1428, ****Taipan Kiryu, Starfire201, DitzyMusicLover**

The two suns of the solar system stretched their rays over the eastern hemisphere of Cybertron. A small, yellow form glanced up and frowned. At one point in his short existence, he knew the names of both the solar system and the suns, but that was centuries ago when Cybertron still supported life and its education system. Now, all that was left of the glorious Cybertronian race were rubble of the skyscrapers and half-starved soldiers. Optimus feared the day when no energon could be found.

That's why Bumblebee was out there. To find what little energon Primus would give them. His tank vibrated, warning him that he required energon. It was only the first warning, but he was used to the sensation. He ignored it for now. He needed to concentrate on the new surroundings. The city was only a giant pile of concrete and metal. With ease, he managed to scale rock fixtures and crawl under pipes without disturbing any of the fine grain settled. If any seeker passed over the area, it wouldn't detect his path.

He spent hours above and below ground looking for the slightest sign of energon or life. Bumblebee knew what it felt like spending years trapped under rubble and with a small supply of energon. He was going to save any bot that he could. A distant roar caught his attention: Seekers. Probably looking for energon, too. His search would have to continue underground.

He let his senses guide his alt mode into the darkness. A deafening roar was heard from above—the seekers were destroying the top level of rubble to get at any possible energon. A faint light ahead caught his attention. He cautioned his approach. He knew better than to fall for a trap. Seekers were notorious for draining energon from a living mech. But the light was artificial, meaning an energy source.

The light took him to a large room filled with counters, boxes, and broken glass. He transformed into his bi-pedal form and studied the stained surfaces, each a faded color. His optics locked on the half cube of refined energon. The pink glow illuminated a few scattered medical supplies.

The artificial light flickered, causing him to jump and pull out his plasma canon, and his battle mask dropped. He felt the new programs drain his energon reserves.

A mech, definitely an older model, stood in the corner. He had a lighted head-fin on the right side of his head. The light revealed that the lower half of his face and part of his neck was missing. Part of a head-fin stuck out from the other side of his head.

Bumblebee lowered his gun and lifted his battle mask."Who are you?" he asked carefully and kept his optics on the other mech. He fitted the battle mask back on his face.

The other mech regarded Bumblebee with a mixture of curiosity and weariness. Then he replied: "What does it matter? I am an old bot... alone. My friends are all gone." The old mech slowly lowered himself onto a rusted chair next to a counter with various junk on it. "I have nothing left except this life to continue. Here is where I live now."

Bumblebee looked into the old mech's optics, then scanned the surroundings more closely, taking in what surfaces the light from the half-drained energon cube illuminated. "You've been living here, all this time? For how long?"

The old mech rested his hands on his knees. "For cycles. I have lost count. I do not dare to go outside looking for others of my kind, resources... So I have not seen the suns for quite some time."

Bumblebee's optics widened at this. This bot was living alone, separated from others, for who knows how long. All this time, and he was alone. Bumblebee wondered how he could have survived all by himself without having looked for energon, or having a repair job. The old mech looked ready to fall apart. Bumblebee glanced at the energon cube on the box.

"That's the last one," the old mech said with a voice that sounded less alive every klik. "Refined energon… At the end, fuel turned into the ultimate luxury. Who would have known, after so many vorns of worshipping fake idols?"

Bumblebee turned to him. He was used to devastation, but watching that poor mech was a brutal reminder of how cruel war could be. What could keep that tired spark beating, that battered body functioning?

"Come with me, we will help you," Bumblebee said. "Energon may be a luxury, but freedom is our badge."

The mech didn't have mouth plates anymore, but Bumblebee could have sweared there was a smirk behind that empty space.

"Freedom?" the mech repeated. "Where is freedom? Before you, others came too, young one, filled with dreams, with hope… Let me tell you something, once the ultimate shutdown reaches you, the Pit doesn't care if you were a liberator or a conqueror."

"We can help you," Bumblebee insisted. "How long does this energon can last?"

"Starvation is our reality."

"It doesn't have to be… We're fighting to change that."

The old mech walked toward Bumblebee, every step a martyrdom. "Even if you would, we'll always be starving. I have been here for more vorns than your imagination could count. I have seen wars, I have seen saviours, and they are all the same…"

Just seeing that mech was a nightmare. Bumblebee had witnessed many monstrosities during the war, but that creature was a living wound, Cybertron crying its slow decline.

The mech tripped. As fast as his good intentions, Bumblebee stepped forward and held him. The mech put one shivering hand on Bumblebee's shoulder.

"An Autobot… so good and loyal… He was an Autobot too, the last one…" the mech said, pointing toward the half cube of energon.

"What…?"

Bumblebee couldn't finish. Something thin and sharp came out of the mech's throat and perforated the Autobot's neck, starting to drain his fuel line.

"I wonder if your energon is as pink as his…"

As the mech started to drain the energon from his already depleted body, the momentary shock wore off, and Bumblebee made an effort to fight back, but the loss of energon was too much and he couldn't do more than offer a token resistance. As his systems started to shut down, he heard the mysterious mech say, "Don't worry, it will all be over soon and you will be at peace. I am sparing you from a far worse death."

"_How can any death be worse than this?"_ Bumblebee thought as he fought not to shut down.

"Who are you?" he managed to force out.

"I am Forgotten." was the reply.

Then the world faded out.

When the world faded back in, Bumblebee was shocked. He shook his head to clear his CPU. Looking around as his optics regained their focus, he found he was still in the same place. The 'Forgotten' mech was huddled in a corner. When he sat up, the mech glanced at him, and then looked back at the floor. His energy levels were still low, lower than they were. Bumblebee asked him, "Why did you spare me?"

"Because, I..." he paused, taking in a shaky breath, "I can't take another life. My family is gone, my sparkmate is gone, my sparkling..." he looked at Bumblebee, "When you were offline, you reminded me of him. Sweet, kind, opens his spark to everyone; I didn't see you, I saw him, and then I... I just couldn't do it." He put his head on his knees and cried.

Bumblebee, against his better judgment, sat beside the ancient-looking mech and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I don't think Primus has isolationism in mind for our design. We were made for companionship and love, but definitely not war."

The "Forgotten" lifted his head slightly. "You're younger and more idealistic than I first thought... and so forgiving. I can't go with you to the surface; there are too many things that I have done wrong..." he trailed off.

Bumblebee was silent for a moment. "Perhaps, you can work for your repentance. Become a vital part of the Autobot family. Optimus Prime and Ratchet are really good at healing internal and external wounds." After more prompting, he convinced the hermit to join him. He stood and held his hand out to the older mech. The head-fins dimmed slightly as the owner took the small digits into his larger hand and hoisted himself up. He grabbed the energon cube and handed it to the yellow mech. "Here, for the energon I stole."

Bumblebee gratefully took the cube and wolfed it down, though he felt slightly guilty swallowing what a more deserving mech could have used. The "Forgotten" was already walking out the door, so such thoughts were replaced on leading him to the surface and the Autobot headquarters. When the two reached the surface the "Forgotten" stilled as sunlight caressed his frame like fond memories of a forgotten lover, but she died at his feet when he saw the pock-marked, eyesore landscape due to the seekers' drilling. "Oh, Pelianth, when was the last time I saw you?"

His companion perked up. "Who's Pelianth?"

The dull white mech glared at him. "You don't..." he grunted, stopping himself as the scratched at missing armor on his arm. "Primus forbid the education system fails our youth like this," he grumbled as he gripped Bumblebee's shoulder and whirled him around He pointed to the sun what was drifting across the horizon. "That's Pelianth. How do you keep up with the seasons if you don't know where Pelianth is?" There was a stagnant pause, and the older mech cursed under his breath. "You don't do you?"

Bumblebee eagerly asked, "And what's the other sun's name?"

He gave him a look that could have been a smile or a grimace. "The other sun is Diobus, young one. It follows after its brother, Pelianth."

"Oh," said Bumblebee whose optics widened more in child-like wonder.

"Don't your comrades teach you these things? What I've told you is quite basic knowledge but necessary to understand our world. Any Cybertronian should acquire it early on in life. I dare say you didn't have much of an education if you didn't know the very names of our suns."

Bumblebee cast his optics on the ground, the child-like look gone from them. "No I didn't, sir. There was no possibility of education once the war got out of hand and energon began depleting. It wasted time and resources, they said. I was born during the early stages of the war. I was taught the names of the solar system and the suns but... I've forgotten them."

The "Forgotten" softened his stare at the little mech and hesitated laying a hand on his shoulder. He did so. "I am sorry. I didn't know that. I was underground for too long. Much too long. This war must have been hard on you in many ways, for someone so young." He removed his hand. "But at least you are still alive to see the suns."

Bumblebee looked up and smiled. "Thank you for teaching me their names again. I'd always wanted to remember for ages."

"Well then," said Forgotten in a lighter tone, "I have many more things I can teach you about our solar system and much more, if no-one else can."

"You will really do that for me?"

Forgotten cocked his head slightly at him. "Of course. It would be a sin to leave the young without proper knowledge of the things of this world. And a sin it is for me to deny you that knowledge. I cannot stand a youth such as you to lack it. For education can lead to power." He tapped the side of his head. "If nothing else, I am more of a teacher than a fighter. I suppose that will be my function now."

"That's great! I would like that – thanks. I just know the other Autobots will be happy to accept you; Ratchet will give you top-notch repairs and Prime – you gotta meet Prime. He's a good leader, and a good friend. You'll be in safe hands in our headquarters. And there's enough energon to feed us, in rations. But at least it's better than no energon."

Forgotten nodded. "It is. Thank you."

The pair headed to the Autobots' headquarters with Bumblebee leading the way. The uneven terrain and rocky slopes were no trouble for Bumblebee but Forgotten, in his ill-health, could not scale the more difficult obstacles without help. Bumblebee searched for possible easier, more flat-surfaced routes for Forgotten to travel on, which took more time, but Bumblebee still assisted as much as he could to get Forgotten to their destination.

Pelianth was setting in the horizon, creating dark gold rays pouring over the ruined landscape. Shadows leaked from the bases of dilapidated buildings, pinnacles of rocks and spikes of metal, like trailing ink across the golden land. The sun's beams made the sight of destruction look strangely peaceful, even idyllic. Beauty and war seemed to combine perfectly in unexpected ways.

Bumblebee and Forgotten made it over a slope of rubble and rock which could not be avoided, sunlight reflecting off their bodies. They pressed on.

"Your Prime," said Forgotten as he followed Bumblebee, "sounds strong from the way you talk about him. I would very much like to meet him. The leader of the Autobots." He stepped over a slightly large chunk of rock. "So you are a scout for him. And he sent you out here to seek more energon?"

"That's right," Bumblebee said while walking. "I'm small enough not to be detected easily, and I can get into spaces too small for others in my group. But... it seems like a hopeless mission looking for energon anywhere. We, and the Decepticons, have sucked the planet dry. But we can't lose hope now; no, we mustn't lose hope."

"And instead of finding energon, you found me. Not what you expected. Or need. I will be using up your group's reserves too, depleting it faster."

"I couldn't just leave you behind. I want to protect life." Bumblebee walked beside Forgotten. "That's what I stand for, and I'll keep protecting life until peace comes again. Even though I haven't found any energon to bring back, I'm glad I've found you." He gave a kind smile to Forgotten. Forgotten's optics dimmed a little.

The slope descended to level ground and Bumblebee had to steady Forgotten on the way down. When they reached near the bottom Forgotten slipped and landed on his knees.

"Forgotten!" Bumblebee kneeled beside him. He helped the old mech to his feet. "Are you okay?"

"Ah..." Forgotten touched one of his knees and stood on one leg. "I think I've damaged my leg."

Bumblebee held onto Forgotten's waist to support him and wrapped Forgotten's good side's arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry, I'll help you. It shouldn't be too long now; there are some pipes we can get under and travel in. They will hide us from the Seekers."

"Uh, I'm sorry. I have become more of a burden to you."

Bumblebee shook his head. "It's fine. Let's keep going."

Forgotten limped forward and the journey continued its steady pace. Fortunately, the path was relatively flat and open, with only some debris scattered around them. The sky was darker now. Forgotten turned his head to the sun which had mostly disappeared under the horizon, its rays weaker.

"After Pelianth sets, Diobus will rise," Forgotten said.

At that Bumblebee was reminded of something that had somehow slipped from his mind. They were in danger. He suddenly looked at Forgotten.

"We gotta move – now."

Forgotten saw Bumblebee's expression. "What is the matter, Bumblebee?"

"Remember what I said about the Seekers? Well, they come out at sundown too, looking for energon. I'm sorry, but we've got to move a lot faster to get cover. Think you can do that?"

Forgotten nodded. "I'll try."

They quickened their pace. Bumblebee kept looking to the skies. If it wasn't for Forgotten's damaged leg, they would be travelling much faster. If it wasn't for Forgotten's ill state, they wouldn't have been so slow. Bumblebee berated himself. He shouldn't be thinking like that. It wasn't Forgotten's fault at all. The pipes were only just visible in the distance of the flat plain; a snapped wall lay in an angle over them like a roof, protecting the one means of escape from the barren land.

With alarm Bumblebee noted the dark tint of the sky. They were so close. Then he heard what he dreaded most: the turbines of Seekers.

Forgotten's audios were not as good as Bumblebee's, but the old mech could see the fear in the young Autobot's optics. He knew what he had to do, the most livid part of him activating with a speed his old shattered body didn't possess anymore.

"Leave me," he said.

"W… what…? Never!"

A shivering but brave hand grasped Bumblebee's shoulder. "There is a time for heroes, but one terminated mech is better than two. You already did more than anybody could have done for me. Keep yourself alive, young one. Believe it or not, you'd already saved me."

"But we are so close! If we can make it to the next sector, Ironhide and the others will detect us and…"

"Bumblebee, you are a brave soldier, and at the same time a pure spark… Don't ever lose that. Do this old mech a last favour and leave."

"I'll stay with you," Bumblebee said firmly. "No matter what happens, you're coming with me."

"Remember me… next time you see Pelianth…"

"What…?"

Bumblebee couldn't finish. The still open wounds on his neck were attacked again by the repented vampire, but this time the Forgotten's target wasn't his fuel line. Bumblebee felt his servos paralyze, only his processor remaining functional as he fell on his back to the ground.

"You'll recover your mobility in less than a breem…" Forgotten said as he dragged Bumblebee toward a shattered bulkhead and covered him with debris.

The young Autobot wanted to speak, but his vocalizer was as paralyzed as his body. He watched helplessly as Forgotten crawled away from him, his shattered structure soon covered by three triangular shadows.

They transformed as they landed. It was too late. Too late for help, too late for hope. Bumblebee recognized Starscream, the Decepticon Aerospace Commander himself. Forgotten was doomed.

"Do you call _this _a decent energy lecture, Skywarp? Even as a tracker you're such a failure!"

A black Seeker approached Forgotten and kicked him on the side. "Mmph… well, you didn't exactly refuse following my lead, did you Screamer?"

The third Seeker, featuring a lustrous blue and grey paintjob, approached the fallen mech too. "He's just an Empty, and a very old one. Let's go. We won't find any energon in him and we cannot return empty-handed."

"Not before using him as target practice. He made us lose our time, I say we take his head in compensation."

"Are you really going to waste fire power on a single Empty, Skywarp?"

"Why do you always spoil the fun, TC?"

A small explosion interrupted the black Seeker's words. The Decepticon Air Commander lowered his right arm, his shoulder-mounted slim cannon still smoking.

"What did you do, Screamer? We could've had some fun with him!"

"Was that really necessary?" the blue Seeker said, frowning at the sight of the big wound on Forgotten's chest.

Starscream smirked. "_That_ was just a taste of my generosity. Neutralists are worse than Autobots. Even one dot of energon is a crime if used in rusted buckets like him. Better to put him out of his misery. Now let's go. We already wasted too much time here and there is an energon quota we still have to make."

Without another glance to what they left behind, the three Seekers transformed and left. Not long after, Bumblebee's mobility returned. His legs were still numb when he was crawling already to the fallen figure of Forgotten. He had just met him some breems ago, but the young Autobot's spark already ached with honest grief.

His surprise was not little when he caught movement on Forgotten's hand. Was he still alive?

As he moved to examine the closer, a sharp burst of static in his comm made him jump.

_"Bumblebee...in...read me?"_

It was garbled, but it sounded like Jazz. He adjusted the frequency and responded.

_"I'm here."_

_"Where ya been, younglin'? We've been tryin' to reach ya for a few joors now."_

_"Ran into some trouble. I'll explain when I get back."_

_"Gotcha. Need any help?"_

_"Yes. And Jazz?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"I've found a Neutral, and he needs help."_

_"Bad?"_

_"Yes."_

_"'k, then. Just send me the coordinates, and I'll let Ratchet know, so he can be ready when the rescue team returns."_

_"Thanks, Jazz. See you soon."_

_"Not a prob', younglin'. Jazz out."_

Bumblebee cut the connection and went back to watching over the mech.

~ 400 Stellar Cycles later ~

Bumblebee looked at the mech in front of him. A face mask covered the damage on his lower face and some of his neck. Symmetrical head-fins blinked whenever the mech said a word. The holes in his armor were gone, and he was sporting a fresh white paint coat with red and green accents. "Are you ready to go, Bumblebee?" he chirped.

The yellow mech paused and looked at the orange space craft that Wheeljack had unearthed. Its location was Forgotten's last words. For a moment, the scout studied the scientist— the ages of knowledge in his blue optics surrounded by a young face and body. But they weren't the same bot. "Yeah, Wheeljack, ready as I'll ever be," Bumblebee quipped.

"Well, then let's go find some energon... if there's any left," Wheeljack muttered. The two transformed and jetted over the decimated terrain, but Wheeljack stopped suddenly and transformed into his bipedal form. He stared longingly at Pelianth, and Bumblebee felt a stab in his spark. No, no matter what Ratchet said, they were not the same mech. Even so, BB wouldn't let this friendship end. "Are you okay, Wheeljack?" the mini-bot asking, pulling the larger mech out of his thoughts.

"It's just so beautiful. I'm going to miss it when we leave," Wheeljack replied mournfully. Like something clicked into place, he transformed again and shot off into the direction they were supposed to be scouting. "I think I know where to find some energon in the tunnels..." he mumbled to himself.

Bumblebee followed after his new and old friend. Forgotten was dead, but he managed to give the Autobots the gift of survival with the ship. The Autobots could leave Cybertron to look for energon and for that Bumblebee was grateful. He once again studied his comrade. He could get used to the chirpy behavior, as long as the love of science and knowledge remained in him.

"Say, Bumblebee, why are you always looking at me?"

The two traveled in comfortable silence. It wasn't a question that needed an answer, but Bumblebee found the perfect one. One that only his old friend would know. The tunnels were just up ahead, and in the distance they heard the seekers' engines roaring over the skies like predators looking for prey. They would be safe in the tunnels for a while. It was coming out in one piece that would be tricky, but they would manage. This wasn't the first scouting mission the two have been on together. They always figured out something to evade the seekers.

Much to the confusion of Wheeljack, Bumblebee replied, "Because no one likes to be forgotten."

**This was a creation from my writing game. It's fun, and the more the merrier. The link to the forum behind it is here: http : //forum . Fanfiction . net/forum/Writing_Game/66995/**


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